


Higanbana

by MarineHaddock



Series: Toku Hanahaki [1]
Category: Kamen Rider Amazons (2016)
Genre: Alcohol, Body Horror, During Canon, Hanahaki Disease, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25548892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarineHaddock/pseuds/MarineHaddock
Summary: Ryuusuke and Jun fell in love and then Jun came back and he was alone.
Relationships: Maehara Jun/Ootaki Ryuusuke
Series: Toku Hanahaki [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1864243
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Higanbana

One night, when they'd all been drinking around the kotatsu, that's when he realised. He hadn't drunk often before joining Nozama, only a few sips he really shouldn't have had. He'd always been focused on school. He wanted to do well. That had been at the forefront of his mind for so many years that it was strange moving away from it. It was strange to suddenly relax, to put all those worries for his future behind him. It was a stable job that paid good enough and he didn't have to worry. It cost his dreams but strangely, even with a daily fear of death, he didn't regret it. All those worries about growing up had left him with the security of being somewhere with people he could rely on.

He was starting to get used to the taste of cheap beer.  
More importantly, he was getting used to shots.

Ryuusuke was always quick to get onto shots. Cheap vodka, or whiskey, or whatever alcopop he could get cheap. Hell, he'd do beer as a shot of the notion took him. The issue came with when he wanted others to do them too, always complaining that it's no fun if he did them on his own.

Mamoru wasn't allowed, not that he'd like them anyway. Shidou would ignore his pleas and Fuku did much the same. Nozomi would occasionally take him up on it and drink him under the table, but only ever on her terms. If she wasn't in the mood or she didn't like what was being poured, she wasn't giving him the time of day. Kazuya was easier, but shockingly a bit of a lightweight. That, or he certainly pretended to be to get out of drinking whatever cheap and nasty bottle it was.

Jun had, unfortunately, found himself to be a soft touch. When Ryuusuke asked him, he agreed for whatever reason. They found themselves about equally matched. If they kept steady with each other, they came out as drunk as each other. Some nights it had lead to getting a lot drunker than anyone else extremely quickly, along with a much worse hangover the morning after.

The next night that Ryuusuke pulled out the shot glasses, Jun had to second guess if he was ready for another nasty hangover.

Ryuusuke started by asking the rest all individually and was refused by all, before coming back to take his place at Jun's side.  
"Looks like it's just you and me again," Ryuusuke smiled with his entire mouth, clean white canines among his otherwise crooked and stained teeth. They always stood out when he smiled like that. He started pouring for them both, spilling a considerable amount as he switched glasses.  
"Why don't we make it a competition?" Jun had been trying to come up with something. He needed anything to slow them down a bit for the night.  
"It's already a competition. I think I might even win tonight!"  
"That's not what I mean."  
"Why, you scared I will?" Ryuusuke's arm was stretched behind him, hand on the ground on the far side of his hip.  
"Do you know how to play chess?" Jun asked him and he only blinked in response. Then rapidly looking around the room and retracted the arm that had been around him. Those dazzling canines chewing his lip.  
"Uhm, no, I never learned," Jun wasn't about to be shocked by that response, he'd never felt Ryuusuke had been the type. He'd always seemed more like the type to get up to wild things that would result in needing a job that didn't ask too many questions.

Jun got up and pulled a chess board out from the storage. It had been in there a while, but it was his. He'd picked it up back when he started out working with them and thought it might be an icebreaker. Needless to say, it had gone almost completely unused except for a few nights that Fuku had wiped the floor with him.

He set it up and spent far too long explaining how to play to Ryuusuke as he whined about how lonely their shots must be getting. With only half the rules, he was jumping to play purely so he could actually drink his shots.  
"Every check is a shot, deal? Checkmate; you down the bottle," Ryuusuke immediately took white and moved his pawn as he gave his own rules.  
"The whole thing?" Jun moved his own.  
"Then we'll see who is drunk first tonight."

Ryuusuke lost miserably but was as good as his word. One clean chug and the bottle was empty. Jun couldn't have claimed to be in a great state himself, but he was coming out of this a hell of a lot better than Ryuusuke was.

He considered putting the set away, only to be crushed by the weight of Ryuusuke leaning on him.  
"I liked that one," Ryuusuke sniffled as he spoke and pulled the blanket of the kotatsu up over him. "I'll win next time. I'll get some practice, then you'll see. I'll make sure to get something really nasty for you to chug."  
"You'll still have to drink it as shots."  
"It'll be worth it in the end."

Sitting there, drunk, with a drunker Ryuusuke against him and the blanket of the kotatsu keeping them warm. The idea that Ryuusuke liked this so much and that he'd put in the effort to get better at it for him. He could feel his chest and throat tightening. Feel the slow suffocations.

And he knew they'd be filled with petals by morning.

He lay down with Ryuusuke on top of him, flushing burning hot every so often, but Jun could barely notice. The feeling wasn't leaving him chest and he didn't know if it was even safe to sleep. How long did people get? Would he risk suffocating overnight? Surely the flowers couldn't grow that fast? Then why did it already feel as if he were so full? He held Ryuusuke tight, the disgusting smell of alcohol wafting off of him. He buried his face in Ryuusuke's hair but it wasn't much better, but doing so made him feel better. As if it sent just enough space for him to breathe again. If he were to start suffocating, at least he wouldn't be alone. It was likely he'd automatically wake up and with everyone here, they had a good chance of him making it.

So he fell asleep under the kotatsu, with Ryuusuke on top of him, and the tightening in his chest seeming to come and go with each breath.

Until morning came, and he was clear as day.

No feeling of horrible roots, digging deep through his organs. No stems, winding around his insides and taking them for their own. No leaves or flower sticking out his throat like a grotesque flower pot. Not a single leaf. Not a petal in his mouth.

That meant there were two possibilities to consider.

One, it was a completely false alarm and he'd panicked over a little shortness of breath that wasn't going to have any long term effect. He wasn't in love with Ryuusuke at all. He could go on with his life without ever thinking about it beyond "what a silly drunken idea I had that one time!"

Ryuusuke grumbled on him, nuzzling into his chest and Jun could almost feel it coming back. It wasn't the flowers, but looking at him he knew.

He could write off the first possibility.

The second. The second was scary in its own way. Not as scary as being eaten alive by plants, but scary in other ways. For one, they were coworkers. Coworkers living with their other coworkers in a pretty cramped building. There wasn't going to be any way to keep a relationship a secret. Nozama would know in no time if everyone didn't keep their mouths shut. God, they'd have to find an excuse for Mamoru in case it slipped out while he was in for a check-up.

The other problem was the fact that is was Nozama they were working for. This wasn't some easy nine-to-five, do your paperwork and go home sort of job. They were dealing with monsters. Real monsters. Giant monsters that ate people, ones that would eat them alive in an instant without a seconds hesitation. Even if all things went well between them, they could die any day. Ryuusuke had mentioned before he didn't really have anyone who'd miss him if it happened. That would change if they were... No. It was too late for that. In that aspect, it had already changed. There was no doubt in Jun's mind that his own heart would die with Ryuusuke if that time ever came.

And by the clearness of his throat, Ryuusuke may well feel the same.

He ran his fingers through Ryuusuke's hair, sparing a glance around the room to see if anyone would notice, but they were all out cold. This was a moment he could have to himself to think it over, but why waste time worrying when Ryuusuke was right there. Even if he couldn't sit up and his head was pounding, when Ryuusuke stirred on his chest he was dying to say something. Anything.

"Ryuusuke," Jun tried to jostle him awake and Ryuusuke made a quiet growl as he stirred awake, squinting at him, eyes dark but Jun ignored it. "I love you."  
"I love you too," Ryuusuke grumbled, settling himself back down to sleep. That wasn't the response he wanted.  
"No, I love you, like I-"  
"Jun, I love you too, that's why we're dating. I feel like shit, we can do this later."

It felt like he didn't blink until Ryuusuke was snoring once more on his chest, the horrible sound stabbing through his skull. It wasn't like any thoughts were going through there, just the insufferable ache.

He rolled Ryuusuke off and got himself a glass of water.

Really, he wanted to talk about it, but that would have to be when they were sober. When they were sober, however, would mean everyone else was sober and busy. They weren't going to get peace to talk about it and there was no telling how the rest of the team would respond.

If he really wanted to talk this over with him, he'd need to find a time when they were on their own, without any worries of someone interrupting them or overhearing them. Which, in a cramped space, was pretty much never. The walls were thin, even in another room, they risked being overheard.

He poured himself another glass of water and checked the fridge if there was anything to eat. There was a bit of food, but with the hangover dragging on, he just took one of the burgers and sat on the counter to eat it.

They couldn't just not talk about it. That wasn't an option now. Ryuusuke said they were dating, what did that mean? He hadn't said anything about dating before. Maybe they were? Did that happen? Ryuusuke was probably the type to forget to mention it. Maybe Ryuusuke had a similar realisation before? He must have realised he was in love with him and then not ended up with symptoms and just taken it as that meant they were dating. Did it work like that? He'd only suffered from it once before back in high school but he hadn't thought to check if the other person needed to be aware they were in love with you for it to clear up.

Unconsciously, he pressed a hand to the scar on his chest.

This wasn't the time to be dwelling on past mistakes. Right now, he had a current mistake to make and needed to find a way to do it. He took another bite of the cold burger, downing a large gulp of water to bypass the gross taste. If he could have taken the sound of the microwave he would have reheated it. Instead, he powered through.

Another bite, another gulp of water.

How many burgers did they have left?

* * *

"Shidou," Jun set the timer on the microwave. "That's the last burger for Mamoru. I'll go get more."  
Mamoru whined but went mostly unnoticed. Shidou nodded in acknowledgement but didn't look round.  
"Ryuusuke, let's go."  
"Huh?" Ryuusuke looked up from his tablet on the couch, seemingly having not listened to what was going on. Jun gestured him to the door and grabbed his coat and bag to head out.

"Why do I have to come? Don't you know where the McDonalds is?" Ryuusuke waited until they were outside to start questioning him, pressing close to Jun's side as they walked.  
"We have to talk."  
"About?" Jun noticed Ryuusuke instantly moving away from him, suddenly seeming far paler than usual. Jun didn't stop walking, wanting to make sure they weren't at risk of any of the others overhearing. Ryuusuke fall a pace behind and kept that distance. When Jun looked around at him, he was playing with the scarf on his sleeve and he could see the glint of those canines once more.

"I told you I love you this morning."  
"Yeah, I sort of remember that."  
"And you told me we were dating," Ryuusuke nodded in understanding, hand never leaving the scarf. "What did you mean?"

Ryuusuke dropped his hands and blinked at him for a few seconds before smiling and taking the step closer.  
"You didn't notice?"  
"You're meant to ask someone out if you want to date them."  
"Sure sure. Do you want to go out with me?"  
"You're dodging the-" Jun was cut short as Ryuusuke closed the distance completely. It wasn't an exceptional kiss and Jun couldn't even process it enough to kiss back before Ryuusuke pulled back and took his hand.

He was suddenly very aware of and very glad for the fact that the street was empty.

"I meant I thought since I liked you and you liked me, that meant we were a thing. I guess I should have said something, but I figured you were just shy about saying it."  
"That's not how it's meant to work."  
"Well it doesn't matter now does it?" Ryuusuke walked just a little too fast for him now, risking dragging him along behind him. "So, what happened with the burgers? I know we had quite a few still in the fridge last night."  
Jun hesitated for a second, stopping and forcing Ryuusuke to pause, his hand hovering for a second over his bag before opening it to reveal the truth.  
"You hid them all? Just to talk to me?"  
"I couldn't say in front of the others. This isn't enough to do Mamoru anyway, we did need more," Ryuusuke reached across him and took one of the burgers, unwrapping it and taking a bite.  
"Why couldn't you say in front of the others?" Ryuusuke asked between bites, starting to walk again, hand still in Jun's own. Jun could feel his ears starting to burn.  
"It's a personal conversation, there's no knowing how they'll even react to us dating nevermind-"  
"They know."

Jun somewhat wish he had a mirror with him, just so that he'd know if he was bright red or if all colour had drained from him in that instant.  
"What do you mean they know?"  
Ryuusuke finished the burger and tucked the wrapper into his pocket.  
"Kazuya got Mamoru to ask, and I couldn't lie to Mamoru, y'know. So Mamoru told Kazuya, and Kazuya couldn't keep his mouth shut."  
"He couldn't keep his mouth shut but he didn't tell me?"  
"Why would he tell you, you're in the relationship. We all assumed you knew."  
Jun screwed up his face, taking a deep breath, trying to make any sense of what he was hearing.

"What did Shidou say?" He finally asked as they rounded the corner to the street the McDonalds was on and their hands naturally fell away from each other. Ryuusuke kept his eyes forward.  
"You know how he is. Told me I was an idiot, tried to lecture me on what a mistake I was making getting close to someone in a situation like this."  
"And you?" Ryuusuke looked at him again with that smile that sent his heart stammering in his chest.  
"I ignored him, obviously."

And just like that, they were dating. Though they kept it low around the others, they'd find their chances for dates and kisses in the hallway when no one was looking. Never anything more than that since they didn't exactly have any privacy, but it was enough for them. Once Shidou pulled him aside for that same lecture he'd given Ryuusuke and Jun swore up and down that it would change nothing. He was old enough to know what he was doing.

Shidou didn't seem sold but left it at that all the same.

He had avoided looking at him when it came time to kill Ryuusuke.

* * *

When Jun reawoke, he felt much like an overstuffed teddy bear and about as alive as one. He just lay there as if time didn't exist, staring at the ceiling for potentially hours. Maybe it wasn't that long. Maybe it was far longer. It didn't mean anything, his head was completely overstuffed. Far too full for how he should be.

Eventually, he blinked, and it felt wrong. He wasn't meant to blink anymore. He started to look around, seeing the faces around him but remembering none. It could be a new person every time and he'd be none the wiser.

He wouldn't have cared in the slightest either way.

Eventually, someone eased him to his feet. They manually positioned him, moving his joints and trying to get him to balance right. Shining a torch in his eyes and then his mouth. Then a gloved hand reached inside his mouth and started plucking and pulling.

He couldn't make sense of what they were saying.

The rubbery fingers tangled themselves around something inside his mouth and pulled. Finally, every sense came rushing back at once, all swarmed by a horrible feeling. A feeling like his lungs were being torn out of him piece by piece through his throat. He wanted to scream but his throat was too full. His fingers twitching and seizing and then burning. Burning how they had never burned before. Smoke rising from his palms as the scientist finally retracted their hand from his mouth. A handful of different colours and kinds of lilies, all crushed in their palm from the wrestle to remove them.

They were speaking again and he still couldn't make it out, but before he could worry any more of it, he was back down.

In an instant, the world was gone again.

* * *

When he reawoke, he could feel the air reach his lungs but there still remained some resistance. Looking around, he could see the clumps and clumps of flowers and leaves and vines, all piled up beside him.

He tried to take a deep breath.

He'd died. He knew that. He remembered the feeling of Ryuusuke's teeth tearing through him. He remembered those last moments, watching Ryuusuke eat him. He remembered being glad then. Glad that he didn't have to kill Ryuusuke. That even though he had to die, Ryuusuke would be okay. At least for a while.

So why was he here?

He recognised things now. He knew the Nozama Pharmacy logo but that didn't surprise him.

He knew they hadn't saved him in time. There wasn't any logic to it. He just knew.

Or maybe the giveaway was the feeling of far too much empty space in his abdomen.

"Mr Maehara?" A middle-aged man stood over him, shining another light in his eyes. He made a gesture to one of the others. "We've had some severe complications with a hanahaki case. We tried to remove it completely but if we removed any more than we have, we can't be sure it would survive. Everything that regenerates appears to be pre-infected with the hanahaki."  
"Do you think they can supply a new one?"  
"It's just a test run, I guess. We don't know if it even needs air to survive. We'll just say we'll do some routine checks and surgeries to keep it functioning and as long as it stays together long enough for them to get the results they want, we'll be good."

The man disconnected one of the lines that were running into him and they all left him there. He heard the click as they locked the door behind them.

Hanahaki.

Did that mean Ryuusuke was gone? What happened with hanahaki when the object of your affection was gone? Was it just to grow uncontrollably, pushing him back to his grave to keep them together?  
If Ryuusuke was gone, there was no way to slow it. The one he loved was gone.

He didn't want to move now. He didn't want to do anything. He could hear it within him. Vines encasing all the organs he had left. Burrowing holes through every piece of tissue they could reach. He wondered how long until he wouldn't be able to move, when would they have taken over too much of him.

Why were they making him live through this?

No matter how long he lay there, he never grew hungry. He never wanted for anything. All that changed was that burning feeling. Steadily gaining back, slowly taking him over once more. Growing and growing until it eventually exploded.

He didn't even flinch at the shattered glass or the holes he burned through his surroundings.

Looking at his hands, he knew what they'd done to him.


End file.
